It is generally known to make light emitting members out of light conducting panels, films, sheets, plates and optical fibers. Light entering one or both ends of the light emitting members may be emitted from one or both sides by providing disruptions on one or both sides in a desired pattern.
An advantage in making light emitting members out of panels, films, sheets and plates is that they are relatively inexpensive to make. However, such light emitting panels, films, sheets and plates are not as efficient in transmitting light as light emitting members made out of optical fibers because they lack the cladding that optical fibers have to keep the light in longer and allow the light to be distributed/emitted where desired. Also it is difficult to control the thickness of injection molded light emitting panels, films, sheets and plates because of the stresses that occur in different areas of the light emitting members during cooling after molding.
Heretofore a major drawback in making light emitting members out of optical fibers was the relatively high cost of manufacture. Also because the optical fibers used were round optical fibers of relatively small diameter, only a relatively small surface area of each optical fiber could be disrupted during the manufacturing process as compared to the amount of surface area of light emitting panels, films, sheets and plates that could be disrupted. This limited the relative overall brightness of light emitting members made of optical fibers as compared to light emitting panels, films, sheets and plates for a given light emitting surface area.
Another disadvantage of previous light emitting members made of optical fibers was that the ends of the optical fibers had to be bundled and secured together by a connector assembly that served as an interface between the optical fiber ends and a light source. Also it was difficult efficiently to couple a light source to such bundled optical fiber end portions because of the minute gaps between the optical fiber end portions and the irregular shape of the bundled optical fiber end portions.
There is thus a need for light emitting members that have the attributes of light emitting members made of both panels, films, sheets and plates and optical fibers.